NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Seven Commodores are set to represent Vanderbilt track and field at the NCAA East Regionals in Jacksonville, Florida, beginning Thursday.
Haley Bishop, Madison Fuller, Taiya Shelby and Grace Jensen were each among the 48 individual qualifiers for the opening rounds of the NCAA Championships, while Shelby, Fuller, Kaira Brown and Jordan Smith will rep the black and gold in the 4×400 relay with Nicole Anderson as an alternate.
Jensen will start the meet for the Commodores at 5:30 p.m. CT on Thursday in the 1,500 meters. Bishop and Fuller will follow in the 100 meters at 6 p.m., while Bishop will also compete in the 200 meters at 8:45 p.m. Between that time, Shelby will race in the NCAA First Round of the 400 meters at 6:25 p.m.
Only 24 from each race will advance to the NCAA quarterfinals on Saturday, and the top 12 quarterfinalists will advance to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon, June 9-12.
The 4×400 relay will race at 8:15 p.m. on the final day. The top 12 teams will move on to Oregon.
Fuller ranks 35th in the region with her 100-meter school record of 11.52 from the Miami Invite on April 9, while Bishop is second in the event at Vanderbilt with her finish of 11.61 at the Tiger Classic on March 19. Jensen is 18th in the region with the second-fastest 1,500 meters (4:16.74) in school history at the Tennessee Relays on April 8 and Shelby ranks 16th in the East and second all-time at Vandy with her 52.65 finish at the North Florida Invite on April 30.
Vanderbilt’s 4×400 team posted a season-best 3:36.27—third-best in school history—at the North Florida Invite.
In all this outdoor season, Vanderbilt has set four school records and recorded 28 top-10 performances, including three top-10 efforts at the SEC Championships last weekend.
